SAN FRANCISCO – Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, a potential starter on an already thin unit, did not accompany the 49ers as they flew out late Wednesday night to Australia.
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Okuayinonu has a foot injury and is questionable for next Thursday’s regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, the team announced at about 11 p.m.
The 49ers’ defensive line is littered with injuries a week ahead from facing the NFL’s reigning MVP, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Nick Bosa participated Wednesday in his first full-team practice since last September’s right-knee injury, having only taken part in a few training camp warmups before pain with his patellar tendon sidelined him from drills the past month.
Working back from an ankle injury is rookie defensive end Romello Height, who took a lot of first-team reps opposite Okuayinonu throughout training camp. Also maligned is defensive tackle Grayson Halton (ankle).
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Okuayinonu took part in Wednesday’s practice before the 49ers took a chartered jumbo jet 12 hours later from San Francisco International Airport to Melbourne. He started 12 games last season and three in 2024, totaling three sacks each year.
In an interview Tuesday with the Bay Area News Group, Okuayinonu spoke about traveling to Australia each of the past two offseasons. “Seeing how much they love football, I’m excited to see how they’re going to be cheering,” Okuayinonu said. “And with the (100,000) capacity of that stadium, it’s going to be full with energy will be in there. It’s pretty cool.”
Keion White, the only other defensive end on their 53-man roster, has spent the six-plus months recovering from ankle and foot injuries after getting shot at a Super Bowl afterparty.
Unless the 49ers fly in a veteran free agent, Ogbo Okoronkwo appears a strong candidate to get elevated off the practice squad, where they also added Vincent Anthony Jr. this week. Okornkwo was one of eight defensive ends signed during camp, as three others went on Injured Reserve (Mikail Kamara, Andrew Farmer and Victor Dimukeje).
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